I am interested in using intermodal with well cars but am limited by 18" curves. There are no grades and all of the engines are 4 axle diesels. I will be using TOFC and COFC on 50' flat cars on other consists but would like to have one that looks more modern if possible. I have done a quick scan of on-line intermodal rolling stock but can't really tell what I'm looking at. The product descriptions mention 40' and 53' units but that's the length of the containers and not the wheelbase or length of the cars themselves. I don't need my setup to be prototypically correct and I would rather not spent a fortune. I see that some well cars come in increments of five so I might wind up with ten cars altogether. Would fifteen be pushing it? TIA for any advice or recommendations about particular brands and models that might work.
Tim
Late to the model railroad party but playing catch-up.....
Well, I may have answered my own question. It looks like most, if not all articulated well cars are rebuilt 40 footers that were stretched to 53 feet to handle larger containers. The shortest well car I could find available is a 40' low side wagon with a concave bottom made by Evemodel. With a 40' well and outboard trucks front and back, the overall length is 8.4". Like a passenger car on an 18" curve, they would look awkward. Would these cars require truck mounted couplers to negotiate the curves or would body mounts be adequate to function reliably?
The old Walthers container cars item number 3902 from the 1990s will run on 18 inch curves. These are stand alone cars which come in packages of 3 cars which were linked together with a draw bar.
I never tried the blue box Athearn multi car units on 18 inch curces but I imagine that they will be fine also since they are shorter.
Hello All,
CapnCrunchI am interested in using intermodal with well cars but am limited by 18" curves.
Welcome to the dilemma of "selective compression."
On my 4'x8' HO pike I am limited to curves between 15- and 18-inch with a single section of 22-inch radius.
The turnouts are Atlas Snap Switches and PECO #2s.
Because I cannot incorporate larger radius curves or turnouts I am forced to "compress" the locomotives to four (4) axel diesels, 0-6-0 steamers, along with rolling stock limited to 50-feet.
This is also another reason I chose to set the era of my pike between the 1970s to 1980s.
Running intermodal cars does not fit within this time frame.
In my livery, there is a Royal Gorge excursion train headed by an F7 A-B-B consist and a trailing F7 A with 85-foot passenger cars.
The 85-foot passenger cars have "Swing Type" couplers. The cars can negotiate the 15-inch curves but they look ridiculous.
Most intermodal sets have proprietary coupling that limits the radii of the trackage.
I'm not suggesting that modifying these cars to run reliably on smaller than recommended curves is not possible.
It might not be worth the trouble/expense. (See my signature.)
The early 60-ton well cars were a precursor to the modern well car.
I have not found any in HO scale.
I actually scratch-built one to accommodate the transportation of early double-stacked containers to fit my era.
Sorry, I don't have a better suggestion.
As always...
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
Capn,
Is there a way to have the cars on the layout w/o having them negotiate such a tight curve?
Have you thought about using Impack spine cars? They were originally designed to carry single 40' or 45' trailers. Might look better than longer well cars. Current offerings are somewhat pricey; but they seem to be available.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful responses. I will see if I can figure out how to reply to each of them individually.
"The old Walthers container cars item number 3902 from the 1990s will run on 18 inch curves. These are stand alone cars which come in packages of 3 cars which were linked together with a draw bar."
These look like a good option. I'm curious about the overall length of each individual car and would like to compare it to other intermodal cars. Your reference to a specific model of cars was very helpful.
The articulated well cars come in sets of 3 as well as 5. Since these are articulated over the center trucks, they 'track' more realistically than individual cars with overhang that require coupler swing.
There may be a problem with adjacent car ends over an articulated truck hitting each other in a very sharp curve. You might address this by lengthening the tabs at the car ends that engage the pivot on the truck, or by adapting a variable-length drawbar arrangement (like that on some locomotives) that stretches on curves but keeps a more prototypical spacing on straights.
There is a growing use of blocks of stack cars on some shortlines, like the Aberdeen and Rockfish. To the extent more 'rational' use of regional or local intermodal facilities increases, you might see relatively short blocks of wells with single or double stack in rural settings with older and smaller power.
"The 85-foot passenger cars have "Swing Type" couplers. The cars can negotiate the 15-inch curves but they look ridiculous"
My collection of trains includes a SP Daylight consist that I would like to incorporate into the layout. I would avoid running it on the 18" curves however for the same reason.
"Is there a way to have the cars on the layout w/o having them negotiate such a tight curve?"
I do indeed have that option. There is a long (but hopefully interesting) back story about how my layout design has evolved to its current status. Rather than sidetrack this thread, I think I'll start a new topic in the Layouts and Layout Building section calling it "K.I.S.S. Layout Build" and use it to document my progress.
"Have you thought about using Impack spine cars?"
I hadn't considered them as an option but I certainly will. I could get a combination of Intermodal car types (Walthers container cars, Impack cars, and spine cars) to add to diversity.
CapnCrunchMy collection of trains includes a SP Daylight consist that I would like to incorporate into the layout. I would avoid running it on the 18" curves however for the same reason.
Note that it would be reasonably possible to shorten the articulated units still further, with a little care and abandonment of prototype fidelity, to get better 'selective compression'...
Thanks for your comments Overmod. I tried to respond to them using selected quotes since I haven't figured out how to use "Add Quote to your Post" to excerpt sections without duplicating the entire post and I lost the response I had prepared for you using copy and paste. (Rant over). I'll just paraphrase your remarks and wing itl
You pointed out how articulated cars look better and I'm coming to that realization. Initially, I thought of using COFC on 50' flat cars and then found a 40' well car with trucks on either end. The overall length of that particular car is probably 80' and might have tracking issues let alone the question of aesthetics. Articulateds are probably the answer.
You mention the use of smaller IM consists in more rural settings and that is part of my thinking. As I mentioned in a previous response, I'm going to start a layout build thread that explains what I have in mind and in it, you'll see how this all comes together (in my mind ).
Your recommendation about Daylight cars is well taken. I'll explain further when I start the layout build thread.
I have a couple of TOFC models from Athearn. These are Transition Era cars and about 50 scale feet long. They have body-mounted couplers and ordinary freight trucks. I've also got a few other 50 foot Athearn cars, gons and the like. All work perfectly well on my 18 inch curves and Atlas snap-switches, even connected to each other.
If we5
If well cars don't work, this may be an option.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
If you get the short walthers rebuilt intermodal cars theyworks well on 18 inch radius also the old bb 48 foot cars work well with 18 inch radius.